GETTY NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - DECEMBER 23: Trey Lance #5 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up before the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on December 23, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
AAfter Jimmy Garoppolo’s two-interception performance for the San Francisco 49ers, Skip Bayless is sounding off on the Niners’ quarterback situation.
The quarterback’s play is the primary talking point after San Francisco’s 20-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans. Despite throwing for 322 yards and a score, two back-breaking interceptions kept the Titans alive and they capitalized with a late go-ahead field goal for the win.
Fox Sports’ Skip Bayless addressed Jimmy G’s play as well as 49ers rookie Trey Lance on Undisputed Friday.
Trey Lance>>>>>>>>Jimmy G. Now on @undisputed
The key behind his Trey Lance take is the telling statistic about Jimmy Garoppolo’s play that we wrote about earlier this week. When Jimmy G doesn’t throw an interception, the team is 7-0. When he does throw a pick, San Francisco is 1-7.
A single number split doesn’t tell the entire story, but it certainly paints a picture on how the 49ers quarterback’s play directly affects the team’s chances to win. Bayless calls it the “case-closing” statistic for the 49ers.
“I think that’s all you need to know,” Bayless said. “That is the nutshell, the broken nut shell of the 49ers season. 7-0 without, 1-6 with picks. That’s this guy. That’s the guy who got you to the brink of a Super Bowl championship.”
Bayless may think Lance would give the 49ers the best chance to win, but plenty of folks do not agree.
I’ve never been a fan of Jimmy G. 7-0 this season with no picks, and 1-6 when he throws at least one. He’s the guy that got you to the brink of a Super Bowl, and then completely came apart. More @Undisputed, now on FS1
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Fans Fire Back at Skip Bayless
There were plenty of passionate responses to Bayless’ take, both in favor of and against Trey Lance. The key for those against Lance coming in largely centered around his most obvious issue: experience.
“Trey Lance isn’t even ready for the NFL yet,” @AlexXJ9_ said.
Meanwhile, @concon_d0 took it a step further with his assessment of Lance.
“Is this the Trey Lance that didn’t play college football last year and has started one game and been terrible? In no way is a rookie who hasn’t played in two years better than a solid Nfl vet like Jimmy G.”
There were also others who defended Garoppolo by saying a game like Thursday’s was an outlier, not the norm.
@RealSkipBayless @undisputed based on what? That was G’s bad first game in 2 months.
One user even went as far to say the 49ers took the wrong quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft, stating that San Francisco needed to take Justin Fields, who ended up with the Chicago Bears.
San Francisco 49ers Rookie Trey Lance
The North Dakota State product has seen minimal action this year, which was always the plan. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch elected to roll with Garoppolo this season and let Lance develop as a backup, although the quarterback was thrust into playing time early on.
After Garoppolo was injured in the Week 4 clash with the Seattle Seahawks, Lance stepped in and threw two touchdowns and 157 yards, per Pro Football Reference. It wasn’t enough to earn a win, but it was certainly a bright beginning.
However, his first start at quarterback the next week just simply wasn’t good. Lance completed 15 of 29 passes for just 192 yards and an interception.
Essentially, what we’ve seen of Lance is a very mixed bag. It’s clear the talent is there, but it’s hard to imagine the 49ers switching over to the rookie at this point in the season.